February 2014 ALAP Meeting Recap

The ALAP gang convened on Valentine’s Day Eve to chat group biz and hear a presentation from the crew at Birch Point Farm. Michelle Ferrarese and Brenin Wertz-Roth discussed their new collaboration and ran down several different options ALAP members might consider supporting. These include 1) CSA and Investor shares (both pre-sold produce @ a discounted price to market rates, the former being a set weekly share, the latter more like credit to be used at the investor’s discretion), 2) helping with a possible bridge loan for farm equipment expenses, and 3) simply getting the word out in support of the vitally important work BPF does for our community.

Michelle and Brenin will farm two properties (in Leelanau and Grand Travese counties) and sell their goodies primarily through a CSA program and at several regional farm markets. They will focus this year on adding to their CSA base and ramping up farm production with the help of new equipment that will serve them well for many years to come. For those interested in learning more about opportunities at Birch Point, shoot Michelle an email @ michelle.ferrarese@gmail.com.

After the BPF presentation, we chatted a bit about Bruce Odom’s campaign underway at Indiegogo (link here) for the launch of a new store in the Grand Rapids area. We also discussed our upcoming March 13 meeting which will have 20-30 minute “free-form” business discussions with Bill Koucky (Grand Traverse Culinary Oils), Sue Kellog (Mello and Co, local baby toys), and Brian Rogers (gourmet mushrooms) and remaining time for group biz. The meeting is open to all (RSVP’s requested to ensure space) and takes place 6-8pm at MLUI. Have a great month!